Taj Mahal Minehead — Restaurant in England

The Taj Mahal Indian Restaurant, I was there when they built the original!

After the success of my first meal at the wonderful Smash Corner, I decided I needed to raise some funds for my next meal. I went to the seafront to flaunt my wares.

As many of my long-time readers know, I am the greatest food reviewing wizard the world has ever known, and I do have a few tricks up my sleeve. I realized I had found a use for my fully grown ostrich, Nigel! I pulled the little feller out... of my hat... and put a saddle on his back. It wasn't long before I had my first customer.

A little old lady on holiday in Butlins with her family. It was her birthday and she wanted an ostrich ride. I said, "It's £5 for 5 minutes!"

She was more than willing to pay up. I helped the frail 80-year-old onto the back of Nigel and told her to hold onto the reins. It started well, then the caca hit the fan!

Nigel, a veteran of the great Australian Ostrich war, is an almost fearless ostrich. Almost. He has a deep and profound fear of ice cream cones. Before I knew what had hit me, Nigel caught a glimpse of an ice cream cone and sped up to full speed, barreling 40mph down the beach. Her family chased behind frantically. Last I heard she was spotted in Ilfracombe, heading for Land's End....

On the plus side, she dropped her purse, so I had money for dinner!

I walked up into the town, trying to casually distance myself from the carnage at the beach (the air ambulance and police helicopters were in fast pursuit of Nigel) when I came across the Taj Mahal. I walked in with no reservation and the kindly gentleman said he'd find room for me.

I was sat at a table on the left-hand side of the narrow restaurant, towards the back and near the kitchens. I ordered a Cobra Beer as my drink.

Then I ordered an Indian Mix starter, which was an excellent starter. Wonderful. Fresh. Spicy and tangy. Loved it!

For my main, I ordered off-menu a Chicken Passanda, the Rezotti, and Pilau Rice. And folks, let me tell you, this food was spectacular! I ordered off-menu as a Passanda is one of my favourites, and it was prepared expertly and without hesitation. The Rezotti was spicy, the meat was tender, and packed a punch with the herbs and spices. One criticism, the chicken was slightly dry. Nothing too serious. The rice was cooked perfectly and seasoned wonderfully.

Taj Mahal Indian Restaurant 4.5/5 (excellent food, wonderful staff. Currently wondering what curried ostrich...

Disappointing Experience at Taj Mahal Minehead

My family and I visited Taj Mahal Minehead on February 23rd, 2024, eager to indulge in some delicious Indian cuisine. Unfortunately, our experience fell far short of our expectations.

Upon arrival, we were seated promptly, but the troubles began when we received our food. We ordered a variety of dishes including mixed Tandoori grill, kheema nan, plain nan, paneer mattar, and mutton karahi. Sadly, the food was subpar in every aspect. The meats, particularly in the mixed Tandoori grill and mutton karahi, were undercooked and lacked flavor. Portion sizes were incredibly small considering the high prices we paid. Additionally, several dishes were notably bland, lacking salt and other essential seasoning.To add to the frustration, we were not provided with a proper receipt for our order.

Overall, our dining experience at Taj Mahal Minehead was highly unsatisfactory. The lackluster food quality, inadequate portion sizes, high prices, and poor service left us feeling disappointed and unlikely to return. We hope that the restaurant takes our feedback constructively to improve the dining experience for...

I had to give this one star just to leave a review. While the décor is nice, that’s the only positive thing I can say. We were offered poppadoms, which we accepted, but before we finished eating them, the waiter took our order. He was unfriendly and had a sarcastic attitude. When the starters arrived, the onion bhajis were cold in the middle, and the waiter didn’t bother to clean the table after the poppadoms. For our mains, we ordered chicken tikka masala and lamb korma. Each dish contained only 4 pieces of lamb or 5 pieces of chicken, which felt very stingy. The table wasn’t cleaned after the starters either. When we asked for the bill, we had to repeatedly approach different waiters, and ultimately ended up going to the bar to pay. We were not given any wipes after the meal. To make matters worse, we were overcharged by £11 but only realized after leaving. When we went back to ask about it and requested a receipt to verify the prices, this was refused, and we were told we had not been overcharged. The atmosphere was terrible, the food was lukewarm, and the portions were miserably small. All in all, it felt like an absolute rip-off. Never go...